We’ll lounge beneath the Pomegranates
by The Book of Counted Sorrows
Summary: A year later, Zero still leads the life of one tied up, but like his Master once told him. He will struggle until he can no longer struggle.


The Professor sighed, taking off his glasses and pinching the area between his eyes.

"Please Kiryuu-kun," he said exasperated with the prefect. "Will you just read the line."

He didn't ask much of the quiet male, he knew the boy didn't like to speak much, but everyone else had had a turn—stood up, and read. He couldn't allow favoritism even if he was—No, especially because he was the Headmaster's adopted son, and a prefect. He would not allow him to ignore his request as he often did with other small things. He looked back at the boy, and watched as silver eyes slowly flicked to him, unblinking.

Zero stayed quiet for a long time, his face neutral as always. He ignored the students that stole glances his way, the whispers they spread, and even those who blatantly stared and spoke. He was used it, and more to the point: He didn't give a damn.

After the disaster that had occurred at Cross Academy a year ago, the young Hunter was still attending classes because his Master and idiot of a Guardian had pestered him so much to still go to highschool. And having no real opinion on the matter aside from the bother it would be, Zero had listened to them, but that didn't mean that he was happy with it, especially on days like today when he had no desire to talk to anyone, be near anyone. He just wanted to hunt. To track down those Level E's that were running rampant through the streets and fulfill his duty.

Execution.

It calmed the bloodlust. Made it possible for him to let off some steam, to give some air to the leashed beast inside. The bloodtablets. They helped too. Enormously.

_Ichiru._

His heart lurched at the thought of his deceased brother, and for a moment, he felt that prick of pain that threatened to break the dams of his heart, and spill all the pain he kept locked away, surrounded by stone walls. The pressure on those walls was tremendous and just like the bloodlust: It was never enough. No matter how many bloodtablets he took, it was never enough. No matter how many times he tried to atone for what he was, it would never be enough.

Never.

The pain and sorrow twined with his bloodlust making every night a struggle for his sanity, a struggle to survive.

_Struggle until you can no longer struggle! You just chose the life of one tied up. Don't run away, Zero._

The words of his Master rang through his mind. That day he had chosen life over death, that day he had chosen the life of one tied up.

He wouldn't run away.

He couldn't.

He was needed… for the moment. He had his own goals to fulfill. The Execution of every Pureblood. He would show none of them mercy. Beast in human cloaks. That's all they were. It wasn't murder to kill a vampire… and yet…

Yuuki.

Another stab at his heart. Pain. He had grown used to it by now. Learned how to mask it, learned to keep his face neutral even as his heart was being ripped too shreds. He had accepted her departure as much as he could.

She had left. With Kuran.

It was to be expected. After all, Purebloods only cared about themselves. It was fact—a fact confirmed by the youngest Princess of the Vampires. She was a Pureblood. She had been glad that he understood that when her brother had turned her.

He had understood. Understood that she had killed the Yuuki that he knew and loved—human as she was, she was devoured by that parasite that now inhabited her body.

He had no mercy for beasts.

Including himself.

"Kiryuu," the voice was firm, strong. Familiar. It brought him back to the present, away from the past.

Kaito.

His long ago comrade in training.

Another Hunter.

When had he come in? What was he doing there?

He was another professor at the school, just like his Master had been.

"Takayami-sensei!" one of the girls called out happily.

Kaito ignored the heads turning his way, and looked at the other Hunter. Soon to be President of the Vampire Hunter Association and still he couldn't accomplish a simple request.

Pathetic.

Slowly, silver orbs shifted to lock onto Kaito's, his gaze strong, confidant.

Not the gaze of a weakling, Kaito thought, watching as Zero slowly slid out of his seat, his movements catching the attention of several students. Now that the Night Class had been disbanded, the silver-haired Hunter was one of the last remaining mysteries that Cross Academy had to offer. The youth had the lure of a vampire, however much he hated it, his presence was—alluring. Made heads turn, attention diverted, conversations stopped. He was, and would remain unreachable to all, a trait that only made his presence that much more enticing.

Zero rose to his feet, book in hand as large hands easily kept it open in an outstretched palm. The hunter's eyes shifted to the open page and after a moment of searching he found the line, and in a baritone voice more alluring that it had a right to be, he read.

"_We'll lounge beneath the pomegranates, palm trees, apple trees, under every lovely, leafy thing, and walk among the vines, enjoy the splendid faces we will see, in a lofty palace built of noble stones_." (1)

The last word vibrated in the air for a second before it slowly died out as he finished the recitation. Silver orbs looked up, blinking for a moment, swiftly hiding the surprise that overtook him at finding everyone's eyes on him. Their undivided attention on him.

The Lure of a vampire.

It disgusted him.

His eyes immediately frosted over in anger. Idiots. All of them. But deep down he knew he had no right to call them anything. It had been his doing after all.

He immediately sat down, angry. Hands fisting beneath the desk, he was just like those beasts. He already smelled like them, now his voice. He couldn't even talk in a crowd of people without exhibiting their traits. He was pathetic.

He was supposed to be a vampire hunter—was going to be the President of the Hunter Association and yet... this.

He was a liability.

He knew it.

Other hunters knew it too.

And yet, it was the age old rule of the Association to give the strongest hunter the title of President, and he would take it simply because he was needed. Once everything had calmed down, everything was over and he was no longer needed…

… he was tired of struggling.

Kaito watched the other hunter for a moment longer before going to the Professor's side handing him a few papers and after exchanging a few words with him, he left the room.

Once outside, the older Hunter slid his hands in his pockets, his mind already working. He had felt that pull too, but he was a vampire hunter and thus immune to it, but he had seen what it had done to the other students.

He would keep an eye on his old comrade. If he got out of line, he had no qualms about disposing of Kiryuu Zero the same way he had with his brother.

Night quickly came that night, and yet the night seemed longer than it should have. Midnight was so close yet so far away and even further still was dawn.

Dawn.

So very far away.

Lying on his bed with his eyes open to the world, Zero stayed quiet. He had already tracked down and executed another vampire on the Execution List, but it still wasn't enough to calm him. He had taken another bottle of bloodtablets, chugging down the pills to curve his hunger, but still it was not enough. It was never enough.

It would never be enough.

His cravings. They were uncontrollable.

Even though he hated vampires the most, he was more vampire like than any other vampire.

Kaname had been right.

A large hand splayed out across his tattoo, feeling it tingle, a light warning of the beast testing its cage. The Hunter curled into himself, closing his eyes, trying to calm down the beast. He needed to calm down. It wasn't even midnight yet, the night was still young, there were still hours to go before he needed to get up, hours of struggling still left, hours of nightmares to get through.

Behind silver lashes, images flashed through his mind's eye.

His beloved twin.

Ichiru.

No matter what had happened, he still loved him. He was his brother. The last of his murdered family. He had given him so much with his sacrifice, the last of his blood. He had taken it, through tears and a breaking heart, he had taken it because he could never deny his precious brother anything. Even when they were young, Ichiru as sick as he was… because of him. He could never deny him anything.

Ichiru was Ichiru.

His family. Brother. Twin.

His Better Half.

And just like everyone else that he had ever cared about, he too was gone, taken from him by a Pureblood just like his parents had been taken by a Pureblood.

They were...

Unreachable.

…

Another image flashed through is mind.

Yuuki.

Laughing, smiling, such a friendly smile. A smile she gave to him. She had been there for him when he had lost everything. She was the reason why he had been able to move on. To keep on struggling even when his bleak path looked impossible to trek, yet he managed to carve his own path. He knew if she hadn't been there, held his neck so gently in the dead of night as nightmares of that woman bombarded him, threatened to drive him insane… he would never have been able to move forward, to take those first crucial steps.

He had loved her.

Loved.

Past tense.

She was dead now. The Yuuki he knew was gone, taken away from him by yet another Pureblood.

Kuran Yuuki.

She had devoured her. Her human side was no more. And yet she walked around in _her_ body, spoke in _her_ voice, taunting him with the girl he knew but would never have again.

Kuran Yuuki.

Another Pureblood.

Kuran Kaname.

Her brother and Lover.

Fiancé.

He was breathing harshly now, the beast so near the surface. He needed to calm down, to push it back to the depths of darkness where it belonged. He needed to control himself.

His hands curled around the covers of his bed, long fingers twisting the material. Twisting until he almost ripped it.

An anchor to reality.

He searched through is mind, desperately needing to find something to distract him, to make the pain go away, to calm the beast.

….

And then…

_We'll lounge beneath the pomegranates…_

An image of a smiling Yuuki came to mind. She was lounging beneath a blooming tree her eyes on the fruit above.

Pomegranates.

… _palm trees, apple trees, under every lovely, leafy thing…_

Palm trees. Apple trees. Vivid life all around her. Her smiling eyes watched the array of plants, her nose sniffing the scent of life that slowly wafted to her, embracing her.

Then, out of nowhere, a shining red apple was held above her head. She blinked in surprise, her eyes shifting to the side and locking onto wine red eyes.

Kaname.

He offered her the apple, and she smiled that lovely smile at him, before taking the gift, and imparting a gentle kiss on his cheek as a 'thank you'.

She didn't eat it, but simply held it close taking in the smell and feel of it. The red fruit didn't make her mouth water, make her want to sink her teeth into it.

No. Only another red gift from Kaname could do that.

… _and walk among the vines…_

A silent witness—observer—to this …. dream...? Zero watched as Kaname got up, and offered her his hand. Her eyes slowly followed him, as if wondering what he was up too before taking it, trust in that single gesture as she placed her hand in his—her life in his hands.

He helped her up, and the Prince and his Princess walked through the garden of trees.

…_enjoy the splendid faces we will see…_

As they walked through the foliage, familiar faces passed by them, offering them a warm greetings.

Aidou and Ichijou.

One happily giving the couple a happy hello, while the other scrambled to find just the right words.

Kain and Luca.

Short greetings were exchanged before they too left to enjoy some time alone.

Shiki and Rima.

Short lazy greetings.

And as more Night Class students passed by, the images began to blur into themselves until finally the two were at front gates of a large palace.

…_in a lofty palace built of noble stones. _

Kaname turned to Yuuki, gesturing to the Palace he had made just for her. A Prince offering his Princess the world on a silver platter.

Wide eyes stared at the beautiful structure, captivated by the spiraling towers that reached the blue sky. Slowly, Yuuki moved forward entwining their fingers together, until they were inseparable, and only then, did they enter their Royal Palace.

Purebloods.

Royalty among vampires.

The image slowly started to fade into nothingness, the garden, palace—everything faded, leaving behind nothing but a lost dream.

Zero stared at the covers of his bed, silver eyes dim. The beast was quiet. Silent.

The Hunter continued to stare at nothing, his mind quiet as he reached the same understanding he always reached each night, since her departure.

"Yuuki."

A name whispered in the dead of night when no one else could hear him; when he had nothing else to lose.

_Go be next to the man who can spend eternity with you. _

And slowly, like the nights before and many more to come, eyes that filled with pain and acceptance slowly fell shut, silver lashes skimming ivory skin.

One beat. Two.

His heart slowed down.

One breath.

Inhale. Exhale.

Two breath's.

Inhale. Exhale.

Slowly, his body succumbed to exhaustion and he slept.

And dreamed.

Dreamed of Pomegranates.

* * *

1) Quote from Ibn Gabirol, 11th century.


End file.
